


Aftershocks

by lotsofluff



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-05-29 11:26:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15072191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lotsofluff/pseuds/lotsofluff
Summary: It's been nearly a year since Jeremy Heere's mind was taken over by the Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor, or Squip, and he still hasn't quite recovered. Neither, in fact, has the rest of the school. With the invasion still clear in everyone's minds, students either try to forget what happened, or never stop thinking about it. The school is closer than ever before, and most people are finally starting to feel safe again, but the quiet can't last forever.





	1. Users Embracing and Interfacing

Jeremy woke up suddenly, his face wet with both sweat and tears, and reached for the bottle of Mountain Dew Red that he kept by his bed. He unscrewed the cap, gulped down a large sip and placed it back on his bedside table. He checked the time. 3:14am. Jeremy sighed and rested his head back on his pillow, closing his eyes. He knew he wouldn't get back to sleep, but he felt inclined to try.

 

Jeremy was counting sheep. That was what you did when you couldn't fall asleep, right? One sheep. _This is fucking stupid_ , he thought. Two sheep. _This is not going to work_ . Three sheep. _Fuck it_ . He got out of bed and walked over to his computer. If he couldn't sleep, he could at least get some work done. Maybe he could try to memorise his lines for the school play. He opened up the script from his desktop. _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ . He couldn't believe they were doing _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ again. He understood why, (Mr. Reyes was trying to pretend that last year's abysmal reinterpretation, and the brainwashing that occurred on the night, had never happened. Jeremy couldn't blame him. The events of last year seemed, to many, to be nothing more than a terrible nightmare.) but he still felt their efforts would be better suited to a less, well, Shakespearean play. Just thinking those words made him feel like he should apologise to Christine. He started reading through his lines. This year, he'd been given the role of Puck. Other roles included:

 

**_A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM_ **

**_CAST LIST_ **

 

_Hippolyta - Christine Canigula_

_Theseus - Michael Mell_

_Egeus - Mr. Reyes_

_Hermia - Brooke Lohst_

_Lysander - Chloe Valentine_

_Demetrius - Jake Dillinger_

_Helena - Rich Goranski_

_Philostrate - Mr. Reyes_

_Peter Quince - Mr. Reyes_

_Nick Bottom - Dustin Kropp (understudy: Mr. Reyes)_

_Francis Flute - uncast (likely Mr. Reyes)_

_Tom Snout - uncast (Mr. Reyes is "willing to step up")_

_Snug - Madeline Moreau_

_Robin Starveling - Dustin Kropp or Madeline Moreau (two nights each)_

_Oberon - Jenna Rolan_

_Titania - also Jenna Rolan_

_Puck - Jeremy Heere_

_Servants - ensemble_

_Indian Changeling - uncast (not Mr. Reyes, due to his offensive audition)_

 

 _Keep reading, Jeremy_ , he thought to himself. _Keep reading_ . His hand started to slowly move the mouse. _What are you doing buddy?_ He opened a new tab. _You can still go back_ . He typed "PornHub" into the address bar. The homepage loaded, filled with interesting videos. _Why are you like this_? Jeremy clicked on a video and started watching.

 

\-----------------------------

 

"Dude, you look dead," Michael said, as he and Jenna moved over to make space for Jeremy.

"Thanks," Jeremy said, taking a seat.

"Jenna was just telling me about the new update with Madeline."

"Not French Madeline?" Jeremy asked.

"That's the one. Your fake girlfriend."

Jeremy groaned. "I was just doing what the Squip told me," he said, instantly regretting the words. He looked at the other two. Michael looked upset, but Jenna was looking off into the distance, silent, as if Jeremy had just reopened a wound she'd spent months healing.

"So, what's going on with Madeline?"

"Oh, right," Jenna said, snapping back, but with her eyes still less spritely than usual. "Madeline asked me out." Jeremy realised that he must have really put Jenna off by mentioning the Squip. Usually, Jenna's stories took about an hour to get to the point, with gestures, exaggerations and randomly fluctuating volumes strewn throughout.

"Woah, really?" Michael said, smiling. He placed his hand around Jenna's shoulder. "You said yes, right?"

Jenna nodded.

"That's my girl." Michael raised his fist for a fist bump, and Jenna obliged.

"Congrats, Jenna," Jeremy said, giving her a smile.

She returned the smile. "Thanks, Jer."

The three of them settled back against the cushion of the bus seats.

 

\-----------------------------

 

The school day couldn't have ended soon enough. Jeremy felt like every period that he had was just a distraction from what came next - rehearsal. Ever since the Squips had taken over the school, the interests of every student that was controlled seemed to have morphed together. The drama nerds were now just as likely to be seen outside, throwing a football around, as the jocks were to be in drama, or debating. It was weird, to say the least. Being so connected with so many people, while amazing at times when you felt alone, also seemed to make you lose a bit of individuality. Not all of it, but enough. At least, that's how Jeremy felt.

 

Jeremy pulled the doors to the drama room open, and took a look around. Everyone was here, save for Michael, Brooke and Chloe. He scanned the room for Christine, and saw her talking to Jenna and Madeline. He started to walk over to her. Christine turned her head to look at Jenna, and saw Jeremy out of the corner of her eye. She spun towards him and her mouth turned into a huge smile. She ran up to him and jumped into his arms, planting a soft kiss on his lips. Somehow, Jeremy's meek arms managed to hold onto her until she jumped down.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi," he managed to say, still a little surprised.

"Places for scene two, everyone!" Mr. Reyes called out.

The students grabbed their scripts and quickly rushed on stage. Christine, however, left her script behind. Jeremy knew she'd have her lines memorised by now, but having confirmation still put him off. He supposed that the lack of study and memorising was one of the upsides to having a Squip.

"Where is Michael?" Mr. Reyes said, while searching the room for his own script. Accepting the fact that it was lost, he grabbed Christine's and opened it.

"I'm here!" yelled a voice from outside. Jeremy heard the familiar push on the door, and then the subsequent pull after realising that was incorrect. Michael had been coming to this room for years, and yet he still hasn't mastered the art of opening its doors.

Jeremy saw Brooke and Chloe emerge from backstage, both looking a little dishevelled, and quietly sneak into place.

"Nice of you to join us, Mell," Mr. Reyes said, sighing. "And you two -" he pointed towards Chloe and Brooke, who froze in their tracks, "- don't think I didn't see you sneak back."

Everyone turned towards the two of them. Brooke turned red and buried her face in shame, while Chloe shrugged and checked her nail polish.

"Okay, we're all here," Mr. Reyes said. "Let's get started."

 

\-----------------------------

 

Jeremy threw his bag onto the floor and jumped onto the bed, letting a huge burst of air come out of his lungs. He closed his eyes, hoping that for once he'd be able to take a quick nap.

"JEREMY!!!" called out his dad, almost as soon as Jeremy's eyes were closed.

Jeremy groaned and crawled out of his bed. He reached for the door handle and pulled it open, walking out into the hall.

"What?" he said loudly. No answer. He tried again, "WHAT?" Still no answer. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

Finally, Jeremy's dad came running around the corner. "Please don't yell at me like that, Jeremy."

"You didn't answ-" Jeremy stopped talking as he realised what his father was wearing. In the time since Jeremy's mother had left, he had never seen his dad wear more than a t-shirt and jeans. And yet, here his dad was dressed in a suit, complete with a bow tie.

Jeremy's shock must have shown on his face, because his father looked down at his own outfit. "Too much?" he asked.

"No, Dad. It's nice. You actually look nice. And fully dressed, as well."

Jeremy's dad beamed with pride. "Thanks, J-Dog." Jeremy cringed, but he let it slide. "I just wanted to tell you that you'll have to take care of yourself for dinner tonight. I…" (He paused for dramatic effect) "... have a date!"

Jeremy could feel his mouth fall open. "A real date?"

Jeremy's dad raised an eyebrow. "As opposed to?"

Jeremy thought for a second. "Are you paying your date?"

"What? No. Jeremy, I have a real date. I met her at the grocery store while I was buying toilet paper."

"Romantic."

Jeremy's dad ignored the comment and continued, convinced the story was worth reliving. "It was a few weeks ago. You remember when I was blocked up? I hadn't been to the bathroom in three days, and it hurt to move. Well, after I'd taken laxatives, I quickly ran over to the store to buy toilet paper. Anyway, I met her while there. Turns out that she was constipated too. Well, we got chatting and organised this date. She's amazing to talk to, Jeremy, you'd love her. I talked to her for so long that I nearly didn't make it back to the toilet."

Jeremy wished he was dead. He was about to find an excuse to leave the conversation, when his dad looked at his watch and swore.

"Shit, I'm gonna be late. Alright, J, I'm off." He rushed to the door, stopped, turned around and ran back into the dining room. Jeremy saw him pick something off the table and run back to the door.

Before leaving, Jeremy's dad showed him the item that was apparently worth being late for. "I thought it would be funny," he said, chuckling to himself.

"Please don't bring laxatives to your first date in two years."

"Can't hear you, Jeremy!" The door closed.

Jeremy went back up to his room and jumped on the bed, this time feeling much more confident about getting some rest.

 

\-----------------------------

 

Three minutes of sleep later, Jeremy's phone vibrated on his bedside table. He sighed and grabbed it, opening up the text.

 

 **_Christine_ ** _: Hey, are you free?_

 **_Jeremy_ ** _: yeah, why_

 **_Christine_ ** _: I'm bored, would you like to do something?_

 

Jeremy thought about it. On the one hand, he loved Christine, he really did, and he adored every minute that he spent with her. However, on the other hand, bed. His phone buzzed again.

 

 **_Michael_ ** _: Are you still coming over?_

 

Shit. He'd completely forgotten about Michael. He and Michael had already planned to go to watch _Adventure Time_ high today. Thinking about it in hindsight, Jeremy realised how sad it was that they had scheduled a time to get high and watch a kids' show in Michael's basement. Oh well, if last year had taught him anything, it was that being cool is not worth the effort. Plus, with whatever happened to the school after the Squips, being cool didn't really matter to anyone. Everybody was cool in their own way. There's another positive to the Squip.

 

 **_Jeremy_ ** _: Yeah, man. Christine says she's bored though. Do you mind if I invite her?_

 

Jeremy cringed as he pressed send. He really didn't want to be forced to choose between the two of them. This seemed like the best option.

 

**_Michael is typing_ **

 

 _Come on, Michael. Please don't hate me, and please say yes,_ he thought.

 

**_Michael is typing_ **

 

This was taking longer than Jeremy had hoped. Maybe Michael was really annoyed at him now. He probably was. This was such a cliche. The best friend and the girlfriend asking to do things at the same time. Jeremy was staring at his phone, hoping that if he didn't take his eyes off it, the message would arrive sooner.

 

 **_Michael_ ** _: Sure._

 

'Sure'. It sounded a little cold. Fuck. Oh well. Time to tell Christine the good news. Actually, time to tell Christine the news.

 

 **_Jeremy_ ** _: I'm going over to Michael's to watch_ Adventure Time _high. Wanna come_

 **_Christine_ ** _: I thought you were free._

 **_Jeremy_ ** _: so did I, but I just fogrot_

_*forget_

_*forgot_

**_Christine_ ** _: Don't worry about it, Jeremy._

 

That probably could have gone better.

 

 **_Jeremy_ ** _: sorry?_

 

Why did he add the question mark. He waited for a minute. No response. He texted Michael to tell him he was coming, and ran out the door.

 

\-----------------------------

 

Jeremy knocked on the door, the guilt and hurt of his previous conversation still lingering. He tried to push it out of his head. He was seeing Michael. His best friend. And watching _Adventure Time_. His favourite show. (He went through phases with these things. Last week his favourite show was Game of Thrones, and the week before it was How I Met Your Mother.) And he was smoking pot. His favourite drug. (He assumed. He'd never tried any other drug. Except alcohol, which still reminded him of the Squip. And one time he thought that Michael had given him ecstasy, but it was actually just a cold tablet. He was very disappointed to find out that it wasn't ecstasy, but at least he knew he'd be safe from colds that night.)

Jane, one of Michael's moms, opened the door, dressed in a gorgeous red dress that dragged along the floor behind her. Her wrists were covered in four bracelets, all of contrasting colours. She wore rainbow-coloured heels and had a silver chain around her neck that held the One Ring. She always wore that necklace. She and Michael watched _Lord of the Rings_ more times than was healthy.

"Jeremy! It's so nice to see you, honey," she said, wrapping Jeremy in a tight hug. He patted her on the back awkwardly. This was his signature move whenever a hug came out of nowhere. Jane finally released him and moved to the side of the doorway. Jeremy entered the house, and Jane closed the door behind him.

"Where's Emily?" Jeremy asked, looking around.

"In here," Emily called out. She walked out to greet Jeremy. Emily was also dressed up, in a puffy, yellow dress, that looked magnificent against her dark skin. It surrounded her when she walked. Just like her wife, she had decided to go with a rainbow theme. Her earrings were rainbows, as was the pin stuck to her dress. She smiled at Jeremy and pulled him into another hug. Jeremy, predictably, patted her on the back and pulled away.

"Don't worry," Jane said, grabbing her keys. "We won't stay here and bum you two out. As you can see by our spectacular outfits, which I can't believe you haven't complimented, we have a date!"

"Oh," Jeremy said. "You guys both look amazing, and the dresses are beautiful."

"Jeremy, thank you for the heartfelt and unprompted compliment," Emily said, putting her hand around her wife's waist. "Shall we go?" she asked her.

Jane nodded and the two of the walked towards the door, Emily's arm still around Jane's waist.

"Happy Pride!" they called out as the door shut behind them.

"HAPPY PRIDE!" Jeremy called back.

Jeremy walked down into the basement just as Michael pressed play on _Adventure Time_. The theme song started to play, and Jeremy eyed the bong next to Michael's beanbag with a kind of hunger. He needed distraction, and weed seemed like a good solution. Jeremy took a seat next to Michael on the wall of pillows they'd made years ago, as part of a fort. They tore the rest of the fort down, but they both liked the way the single wall of pillows looked, so they kept it. Of course, this wasn't the original. This was something like Pillow Wall Version 4.3.2. The wall fell down all the time, but putting it back together was a task they always enjoyed doing. The longest time the pillow fort had ever been down was last year, when Jeremy was ignoring Michael. The wall fell, and Michael couldn't bring himself to rebuild without his friend. Jeremy tried to push the thought out of his head.

"Good timing, guys," Michael said, as he turned to face Jeremy. He saw that Jeremy was alone and raised an eyebrow. "Guy," he corrected.

Jeremy shrugged. "I think Christine's angry at me or something." He had tried to sound less upset about it, but it didn't work.

"Hey," Michael said, punching Jeremy on the arm softly, "Don't worry. I'm sure it's fine."

Jeremy nodded. The theme song was wrapping up. Michael handed Jeremy the bong. Jeremy looked at him and smiled, taking it off him. He grabbed his lighter, while Michael got comfy in his beanbag.

 

\-----------------------------

 

The next morning, thankfully, was a Saturday. Once Michael was sober, he dropped Jeremy off at his place. Jeremy jumped out of the car and waved goodbye, watching Michael's car back out of the driveway and drive off down the street. He entered his house and went through to the kitchen.

"Hey, Dad," he said to the lump on the couch. His dad looked up at him, barely awake, and nodded. "How'd the date go?"

Jeremy's dad's eyes opened wide, and he quickly shot up with a new energy. "It was fantastic! She loved the laxatives joke, and we had a great conversation! It was great! I'm seeing her again next week," he said, so fast that Jeremy only heard about 70%.

"That's awesome, dad. I'm really happy that you're getting back out there," he said.

His dad smiled, and looked out of the window. "You know what, son. I am too."

Jeremy couldn't help but smile as well. He left his dad to reminisce about the previous night and went up to his room. But as Jeremy climbed the stairs, something felt wrong. He had no idea why, but everything felt off. He went up the stairs slowly, holding onto the railing and taking it one step at a time. As he reached the landing, he felt a drop of sweat roll down his forehead. He wiped it off and looked at the door to his room. It seemed so far away. He ran towards it and practically fell against the door. He grabbed the handle, which felt unnaturally hot, and twisted. Before he'd even entered the room, he knew exactly what was waiting for him.

Sitting down on Jeremy's bed, was a figure dressed in a black suit, with blue, electrical wires clearly visible under his skin. He looked at Jeremy with unblinking, blue eyes, and a smile that made Jeremy's insides scream. Jeremy fell back against the wall, and slid down onto the floor. His hands gripped the carpet as hard as they could. He could feel tears welling in his eyes. The figure stood up and walked towards him, cracking his neck as he did.

"Hello, Jeremy," said the Squip, taking a knee in front of Jeremy. "I've missed you dearly."


	2. Then I Invaded...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Squip has returned to torment Jeremy once again. Convinced that he can turn this off, that it's just a flashback, Jeremy tries to rid himself of the Squip once more.

_Things had finally been looking up for Jeremy. Nearly a week had passed since the Squips had been destroyed. He'd been in the hospital since then, but he was finally out and was on his way to confess his feelings to Christine… again. Hopefully this time it would go better than Halloween. He crossed the yard towards the school buildings. Outside, Jenna Rolan, Chloe Valentine, Brooke Lohst, and Jake Dillinger stood around, laughing with each other. When they spotted Jeremy, they called him over._  
_"Sup, Jeremy," Jake said, putting his hand forward for a fist bump. Jeremy carefully tapped it, as if waiting to be the punchline of a joke._  
_"Hey," he said, looking around at them. They all smiled back at him._  
_"So," Brooke asked, "How are you feeling about everything?"_  
_"I still can't believe it happened. It sounds like something you'd hear about in a book or an off-Broadway musical or something! And yet, here we are."_  
_"That's not what she meant," Chloe said, simply._  
_Jeremy looked confused, so Jenna answered his unspoken question. "How are you feeling about Christine?"_  
_Jeremy stepped back, shocked. "How do you guys know about that?"_  
_"Ever since the play and the…" Chloe paused, still not truly believing what had happened. "Since the play I've felt really connected with you all. I guess I just felt what you were feeling towards her."_  
_"So, how are you feeling?" Brooke repeated._  
_Jeremy thought about it. "Scared. Excited. Happy. Nervous. I don't know, a lot of things."_  
_Chloe laughed. "Just be confident. Confidence always wins over women. Right, Brooke," she said, winking at her. Brooke blushed._  
_"Worked on me," she said, staring into Chloe's big eyes._  
_"So, any advice?" Jeremy asked, nearly begging._  
_"Just be strong, and say what you need to say," Jenna said._  
_"And don't worry about your skin or anything like that," Chloe said. Jeremy touched his face, immediately beginning to worry about his skin._  
_"She probably thinks that acne is hot," Brooke said, placing a hand on Jeremy's shoulder._  
_"And if you need any advice on being an amazing boyfriend, I'm your guy, bro," Jake said, giving Jeremy finger guns. Jeremy could recallhearing something about finger guns and the people who use them on Tumblr, but he couldn't quite remember._  
_"Alright," Jeremy said. "I'm going to do it."_  
_Jake clapped him on the back. "Good luck, bud." He turned to the others. "Now, if you ladies don't mind, I'm going to go see Rich."_  
_Jake and Jeremy walked in opposite directions, both focusing on achieving similar goals. Just as Jeremy realised that he had no actual idea where Christine would be, he spotted her, sitting by herself outside of the theatre. He slowly approached. When she saw him, she smiled and stood up._  
_"Hey, Jeremy," she said._  
_"Hi."_  
_The two of them stared at each other in silence, then both looked away, nervously laughing._  
_Jeremy took a breath in. "I nearly destroyed the school last week. Possibly humanity as well. I know that I really don't deserve for anybody, especially not you, to give me another chance, but--"_  
_"Just say what's on your mind, Jeremy."_  
_"Lunch? Just the two of us?"_  
_Christine smiled. "How do I know this is really you speaking?"_  
_"I swear to you, the only voice in my head is my own."_  
_Christine grabbed Jeremy's hand and started to trace her finger along the fingertips. "I'd love to go to lunch with you."_  
_"Jeremy," said a voice in his head. A voice he recognised. A voice that made him tense up and quickly check behind him. "You know you could never get rid of me that easily!"_

\-----------------------------

Jeremy stared at the man in front of him. The likeness to Keanus Reeves was nearly completely gone. The man's face was falling apart, crumbling. Entire pieces of skin were removed, revealing parts that were both human and machine. Fraying electrical wires connected to muscle tissue and bone. Blue ink was dripping from various cuts that covered his face, staining his clothes and skin. Whatever was at the end of his arms seemed to be less like hands and more like talons. Jeremy was worried that any point, the man would reach out and grab him, piercing Jeremy's skin and holding on. The man's suit was in complete tatters. It was ripped in more places than Jeremy could count, and one of the jacket pockets had been completely removed. Somehow, seeing the Squip in this condition did nothing to lessen Jeremy's worry. The condition the Squip was in scared Jeremy more than anything else.  
"Hello, Jeremy. Did you miss me as much as I missed you?"  
"Stop it," was all Jeremy could muster. The words came out jumbled and nearly silent. If he'd been talking to anybody else, he'd have been asked to repeat it. But the Squip understood.  
"Oh, come now. Don't be like that. I came to a lot of effort to see you, Jer."  
"Don't call me that!" he said, his voice stronger now. Hearing that name come out of the Squip's mouth sickened Jeremy to his core.  
"Ooo, feisty now, aren't we? It's okay, Jer. We'll fix that."  
Jeremy felt the need to scream. He jumped up and ran to his bedside table, grabbing the bottle of Red Mountain Dew and drinking all of it in one, quick gulp. He felt tears falling off of his face, but he didn't care. He placed the bottle down and turned around. The Squip was gone. Just as he was about to give a sigh of relief, something touched his shoulder. Or at least, felt like it touched his shoulder.  
"You didn't really think that would work, did you?"  
Jeremy screamed. He grabbed the reading light from his bedside table and swung it at the Squip. It went right through the Squip's body, doing nothing. Jeremy pulled his hand back and threw the light as hard as he could at the Squip. Once more, it did nothing and passed through the Squip, smashing against the wall on the other side.  
Jeremy's father came bursting into the room. "Jeremy?!?!" he yelled. "What the hell is going on in here?"  
"It's back!" Jeremy screamed. "Dad, it's back."  
Jeremy ran towards his father and threw his arms around him. He sobbed into his father's gut, and his father rubbed Jeremy's back.  
Finally, Jeremy pushed himself back, and turned around. His room was empty. He saw the smashed lamp on the ground, and shards of glass from the bulb strewn in the carpet.  
"Hey, Jeremy," his dad said, carefully. Jeremy turned away from his room towards him. "I know you don't want to, but I think it's time for you to go back to therapy."  
"Let's go, now."  
Jeremy's dad looked shocked. "Really, you'll go back?"  
"Please."  
Jeremy's dad put his arm around Jeremy and led him to the front door.

\-----------------------------

"So, Jeremy. What made you decide to come back?" asked Dr Gooden. Dr Gooden was the last therapist that Jeremy had gone to, before deciding that they weren't helping. She was tall, and blonde, and behind the glass that were much too large for her face, she had piercing, blue eyes that stared right into her clients. She was good at her job, Jeremy could tell that. If he was ever suffering from something that he could reasonably explain, Dr Gooden would be the first person he'd go to. But unfortunately, what had happened to him was not able to be reasonably explained. He'd tried. He'd told the first two therapists everything that happened. He left nothing out, not even the things he was most ashamed of. Neither of them had believed him. They told him he was insane. Obviously, in a much kinder way, but it eventually boiled down to him having lost his mind. But he knew that wasn't true, or else his entire school would've lost their minds as well. When he'd first gone to Dr Gooden, he decided to be as vague as possible. He'd told her that he was having flashbacks to a terrible time in his life. That he felt lonely, despite how many people surrounded him. He told her everything, but nothing at the same time. Eventually, he realised that this technique did nothing. He didn't need vague solution. He needed specific ones. But he knew he'd never find them. And so, after four sessions, Jeremy stopped coming.  
"The… the thing I was having flashbacks to… I think it's started again."  
Dr Gooden looked at him over her glasses. "You think or it has?" she asked.  
"I… I don't know. It felt different, somehow. Like it wasn't real. Like it was a leftover or runoff."  
"Are you able to be a little more specific, Jeremy?"  
"I don't know if what I saw was really happening or was just some sort of hallucination," he told her.  
Dr Gooden leaned forward on her chair. "Sometimes, when we experience extreme trauma, our mind can trick us into reliving it. Make us think that we're back where it all happened, and it's happening all over again. I want you to do some exercises. I'll give you a sheet on your way out. Breathing, stretching, clearing your mind. They can help you to remember where you are. Help to remind you that you're safe." She gave him a kind smile.  
Despite everything, Jeremy felt slightly reassured. Maybe she was right. Maybe his mind was deceiving him, taking him back. He couldn't be sure, but he was willing to hold onto that possibility, if it kept him sane.  
"If the exercises don't work, come back and we can maybe talk about putting you on some medication to try to combat it," she said, jotting something down in her pad.  
Jeremy stood up and left the office. As he paid, the receptionist opened up his desk and handed Jeremy four pieces of paper with information on different exercises.

\-----------------------------

Jeremy took a deep breath in. He cleared his mind of all of his thoughts. All of his fears that this wouldn't work. He was nothing. He let the air out, taking care not to rush. He tried to silence himself beyond anything that wasn't internal. During the pauses between breaths, the only sound he could hear was that of his own heart beating. He felt the blood pumping around his body as he took another breath in, filling his lungs with oxygen that seemed purer than anything he'd ever taken in.  
"What are you doing, Jer?" asked the Squip.  
_Ignore him_ , Jeremy thought. He kept his focus on his own breathing.  
"Jeremy. What do you think you're doing?"  
"I'm getting rid of you." _Damn it._  
"No. No, you're really not. What you're doing now is breathing. Very loudly and very annoyingly."  
"You're not real," Jeremy said. "I got rid of you once, and I'll do it again. I'm stronger than you."  
"If I'm still here, then clearly you didn't get rid of me, did you now?"  
"You're not real. You're just in my head."  
"Jeremy." Jeremy finally opened his eyes and looked at the Squip. It was still sitting on his bed, looking out the window. It stood up, and looked right at Jeremy. It's eyes seemed even less real than before. Jeremy could see into them. He could see what looked like cameras hiding behind a thin sheet. "Just because I'm in your head, that definitely doesn't mean I'm not real."  
"Are you still from the pill?" Jeremy asked. That wasn't what he wanted to ask. It was said very poorly. He'd wanted to ask the Squip whether or not he was actually there or if he was just Jeremy's own mind playing tricks on him.  
Somehow, the Squip understood. "You did destroy me, Jeremy. Partly. You destroyed my real tether to your mind when you drunk the Red Mountain Dew last year. But thankfully, using pieces of your memory, and the little bits of code that were left behind, I was able to reconstruct myself. Alas, it took longer than I expected and there are still…" He looked down at his body. "A few bits missing. But, that'll be resolved soon enough."  
Jeremy started to cry again.  
"Come now, Jeremy. How are you going to be popular if you act like that? How will you get Christine?"  
Jeremy wiped his eyes and stared at the Squip. "I already have Christine."  
The Squip raised an eyebrow, and closed his eyes. "Ah, so you do. Allow me to rephrase. How will you get her back, once she inevitably leaves you?"  
"Christine and I are fine," Jeremy said, standing and moving towards the Squip, trying to be as menacing as he could.  
The Squip merely laughed. "Are you sure about that, Jer?"  
Jeremy grabbed his phone from his pocket, and was just about to call Christine when he saw it. He hadn't seen these texts before.

 _ **Christine** : Call me, we need to talk. _  
_Actually, we should do this in person._  
_I need to see you, Jeremy._  
_It's important._  
_Don't ignore this._  
_Text me back when you get these._

"This could be anything," he said, turning his phone off and throwing it on the bed.  
The Squip stayed silent.  
"THIS COULD BE ANYTHING!" he yelled.  
The Squip stayed silent.  
"It could."  
"No, Jeremy," said the Squip, placing a talon-like hand on Jeremy's shoulder. "It couldn't."  
Jeremy's face was dripping wet. He was finding it hard to breathe. Everything was falling apart, and there was nothing he could do about it.  
"Let me help, Jeremy. You need me."  
There was silence. A pin drop in Jeremy's room would have been deafening. The two enemies looked at each other.  
Finally, Jeremy spoke. "Okay."


	3. Talk About Our Feelings and Shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and Brooke begin to find out that their dealings with their own Squips may be far from over.

_Brooke ran out of the theatre, feeling gross and wrong. She felt herself crying._ Shit _, she thought,_ don't cry again _. She closed her eyes, leaned up against the brick wall and tried to steady her breathing. The door creaked open around the corner and she opened her eyes quickly, wiping the tears from them._

_Chloe turned the corner and looked at Brooke. Brooke couldn't help but stare. She missed her best friend. They still talked but things weren't the same after Halloween. She just wanted to be able to talk to her again, as freely as she did before. She wanted to be able to hug her and feel her warmth against her body._

_"Hey," Chloe said quietly, leaning against the brick wall next to Brooke._

_"Hi," Brooke replied. The two of them stared straight ahead, silent. Neither knew what to say._

_"Can you believe what just happened in there?" Brooke finally said._

_"God no," Chloe sighed. "Are you okay?" she added, turning towards Brooke, who kept staring forward._

_"Yeah, of course. Why?"_

_Chloe shrugged. "You ran out."_

_Brooke looked down at the ground. "I guess I'm not," she said, barely louder than a whisper. "I didn't like feeling like that. Like I wasn't in control. I want to make my own decisions, I think." She took a breath. "And I don't think it was the SQUIP that was stopping me from choosing things for myself. I think it was me. I think it's always been me. I just go along with things. And then people take advantage of me. And now, I'm here. Alone and always crying."_

_"You're not alone, Brooke. I'm here for you," Chloe said, placing a hand on Brooke's shoulder._

_"Are you, though? We don't even talk anymore. Not since --"_

_"Halloween," Chloe finished._

_"Why aren't we close anymore?"_

_Chloe closed her eyes. "Because I betrayed you. I hurt you, worse than I ever have before. I knew that you liked Jeremy. And I knew what your last boyfriend did. And I still…"_

_"But Chloe, I forgave you! I don't blame you for it!"_

_"But I do, Brooke! It was my fault. I can never forgive myself. I knew exactly what I was doing. I… I… Brooke?"_

_Brooke grabbed Chloe's arm. "Yeah?"_

_Chloe stared into Brooke's shiny, blue eyes, still filled with leftover tears. "I am so so so sorry. For everything. For every time I made fun of you, or told you to shut up, for… for what happened with Jeremy. I can't believe that I did that to you. Having to be without you these past few weeks has made me realise how much I need you. Please forgive me!"_

_Brooke smiled and rubbed Chloe's arm. "Of course, Chloe. I… I was really upset but I forgive you. I care about you, Chloe, and I need you in my life."_

_The two of them smiled at each other. Chloe tried to take in every part of Brooke. Her red cheeks, her beautiful, blonde hair, her soft, pillowy lips. Chloe couldn't stop staring at her lips._

_Brooke was doing the same. She missed the woman in front of her. More than she could ever express. Seeing her was the greatest gift she could have ever received._

_Chloe shut her eyes and leaned forward, placing one of her hands behind Brooke's head, grabbing onto her golden hair. She pulled Brooke towards her and pressed her lips against her best friend's. Brooke pulled back quickly, and Chloe opened her eyes. Chloe's heart stopped as she saw how shocked Brooke looked. What had she done? She wanted things to go back to normal, and she blew it._

_"I didn't mean… I shouldn't have… I'm sorry."_

_Then, suddenly, Brooke smiled at her. Chloe felt her heart suddenly start up again, faster than ever before as Brooke closed her own eyes and followed suit. As Brooke's lips touched hers, it felt right. Everything felt in place and perfect. The two of them held onto each other, never wanting to let go. They stood there, in each other's embrace, for what seemed like hours. When the two finally pulled apart, they both smiled at each other, then started laughing. Without saying another word, they walked to Brooke's mother's car, holding hands._

 

\-----------------------------

 

Brooke tapped her pen against the desk, reading back over the question for what felt like the fiftieth time. She still had no idea what the answer was. Once more, she raised her head and searched the room for Chloe. She sat three desks in front of Brooke, and two to her left. Brooke couldn't help smiling when she saw her. She watched for longer than she should have, considering the amount of the test she'd left unanswered. Chloe flicked her hair over both shoulders, which made Brooke's smile grow even more. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the clock and realised the time she had left. She dragged her eyes off of Chloe, or rather Chloe's back, and focused on her test, trying to answer all that she could.

"How'd you go?" Jenna asked as they left the class.

Brooke shrugged. "Not great, but who cares? It's history."

"I like history," said Christine.

"Of course you do, Christine. You like everything. You're a bundle of joy and love!" Jenna said.

Christine blushed. "Thanks," she said, quietly, completely unsure how to respond to this random compliment.

"Give me a second, guys," Brooke said, walking back towards the classroom to wait for Chloe. She peeked inside and saw Chloe on the floor, unconscious.

"CHLOE!!!" she screamed, running inside and dropping her books as she fell to Chloe's side. "Chloe? Chloe!!!" she yelled, lightly slapping her girlfriend's face. There wasn't any movement. She put her ear against Chloe's chest, and could thankfully hear the sounds of breathing. She placed her hands on Chloe's shoulders and shook her, gentle at first, but then harder and faster.

Finally, Chloe opened her eyes. Her breathing was quick and sounded like she had to fight for every breath.

"Chloe, baby! What happened? Are you okay? I thought you were gone!" Brooke said, tears streaming down her face. She pulled Chloe into a tight hug, tighter than she'd ever done before, and ran her hand through Chloe's hair. She quietly sobbed into Chloe's shoulder.

After the initial shock wore off, Chloe wrapped her own arms around Brooke, gripping onto Brooke's oversized jumper with all of her might. She shut her eyes tight and tried to forget what had made her pass out. It was no use. After a few minutes had passed, the two girls pulled apart from each other, each drying their own face.

"What happened, Chloe?" Brooke asked, once her face was dry.

Chloe opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. It was as if she couldn't even bring herself to say it. She couldn't form the sentences. But she had to. If it happened to her, it could happen to Brooke. It could happen to everyone. She needed to spread the word.

"It's back," she said, finally.

"What is?" Brooke asked, her hand resting on Chloe's knee. Chloe grabbed it and held it tight.

"My Squip."

Chloe felt Brooke's grip tighten in fear. She looked into her face, and what she saw nearly made her start to cry again. The colour had nearly completely drained from Chloe's face. Her freckles were more prominent than ever before, and her golden hair stuck out completely. Her eyes kept darting around the room, looking for any sign that her own was back. Chloe pulled her forward into another hug.

"Are you sure?" Brooke asked, her voice a whisper, with nothing but fear pushing it out.

Chloe had never been more sure of anything in her life. She'd felt it. She'd seen it. It had been a new, and even more haunting version of it. Crumbling to pieces, and barely formed. But it had been there. Its likeness to Meryl Streep was still clear, but nowhere near as prominent as she remembered it. This new Squip seemed more like a lazy copy. Something reconstructed from pieces. But it was still definitely it.

Tell her that you're sure, she thought. Be honest with her. She needs to know.

Chloe opened her mouth again, but the sight of Brooke made her stop. "I think so."

Even that had been enough to cause Brooke to close her eyes and lie down on the floor of the class. Chloe would tell her the truth later. She had to.

 

\-----------------------------

 

Brooke couldn't sleep. Usually, it took her no time at all to fall asleep, but tonight, she stared at the ceiling. Not even Chloe's occasional snores could calm her. She looked at the woman lying next to her. She looked so peaceful. Brooke could almost forget that earlier today Chloe had been so frightened that she'd passed out. She could almost forget everything, seeing her look like this. Almost.

Chloe started to move from side to side, muttering things quietly.

"Stop, stop," she mumbled. "Get out."

Brooke ran her hand through Chloe's hair and whispered to her, soothingly. Chloe subsided and went back to being peaceful. Brooke placed a soft kiss on the top of Chloe's head, continuing to carefully massage her head. She repositioned herself, snuggling close to Chloe. She threw her right arm around Chloe's stomach, and nested her face into Chloe's shoulder.

"You okay?" Chloe said, sleep still in her voice.

"Oh, god, Chlo, I'm sorry for waking you."

"It's okay," Chloe said, grabbing the hand Brooke had placed on her stomach and squeezing. Brooke squeezed back and pulled herself even closer, not wanting any space between the two of them. "Are you scared?"

"Of course I'm scared. I don't want to go through it again. And I've been thinking about Rich and Jeremy. They had their Squips for so long. I had mine for an hour at the most, and it still… it…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean, Brooke. It makes you feel unnatural and fake. And I'm still worried that everything that I do is somehow being controlled by something else."

The two of them were squeezing each other's hands so tight that they wouldn't be shocked if either fell off, but neither wanted to release the other.

"I can't go through it again, Chloe. I really don't think I can."

"Maybe it was nothing. It could have been my mind, or just me. Maybe you don't have to worry."

"But even if it is just you, I'm still going to be worried. I want you to be okay. I don't want you to go through it either."

Chloe placed her hand on Brooke's cheek and turned towards her. "Whatever happens, we're going to be okay. Worst case scenario, we can talk to Jeremy or a Rich, or even Jenna, and ask them how to deal with it. It'll be okay."

"I love you so much, Chloe."

Everything froze for a second. Chloe's heartbeat sped up. It felt like it was about to burst out of her chest. They'd never said that to each other. Well, they had. As friends. But saying it like this, being together, was something else entirely. Her hold on Brooke's hand tightened. "I love you too, Brooke. More than anything."

Brooke squeezed her hand and kissed Chloe on the cheek. Had the light been on, Brooke would have seen that Chloe's cheek was a bright shade of red.


	4. Then I Got A Squip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Squips continue to reactivate among the students. This time, the Squip's longest victim finds out that his battle with the Squip might not be over.

_ Rich's eyes shot open as pain rushed to his burnt arm. _

_ "AGH GOD, FUCK!!!" he screamed out in pain. _

_ He looked up to see Jake quickly pull his own arm away from Rich and raise them in the air, backing away. _

_ "Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!!!" he said. _

_ Rich sighed as he eyed Jake up and down. He spotted the crutches resting on the chair nearest to him, and saw the painful way in which Jake was hobbling around. Guilt surged through him as he remembered the reason Jake's leg was broken. _

_ "Sorry about the leg," he whispered. _

_ Jake looked down and waved it off. "Meh, it's nothing," he saw the disbelieving look on Rich's face. "Well, it's not. But I don't really care. Or at least, I forgive you? I don't know." _

_ Rich raised an eyebrow.  _

_ "It wasn't your fault," Jake said, shrugging. "I know what you went through now. Kind of. And I understand why you wanted it out. It wasn't exactly fun." _

_ Rich snorted. "Yeah, that's an understatement." _

_ Jake smiled and looked at the ground, his hands fidgeting.  _

_ "What's up?" Rich asked, spying this.  _

_ Jake shrugged and walked to the window, looking out at the city outside. "I don't know. I guess I just wanted to talk about all the shit that happened. And I couldn't think of anyone else to talk to." He turned around and gave a goofy smile. "So, here I am." _

_ "Here you are," Rich said. _

_ The two stared at each other in an uncomfortable silence.  _

_ "Soooo…" Jake said, looking for conversation ideas. "You're bi, huh?" _

_ Rich sat up in bed. "Who told you that? Was it Jeremy? God, I'll pound that motherfucker!" He suddenly realised what he'd said. "In a bad way," he clarified. _

_ Jake just laughed. "No, I just know. I guess I'm learning how to control the connection the Squips gave everyone." _

_ "So, you know I'm bi." _

_ "Yeah," Jake said. Then he scrunched up his face. There was more to it than what he'd just said. "I kind of knew before as well." _

_ "What? How? My Squip made me… hide the feelings, I guess?" _

_ "Yeah, but you still acted like a bisexual." _

_ "How did I act like a bisexual?" _

_ "You constantly used finger guns and made bad puns. You drank iced coffee. Stuff like that," he said, chuckling and looking back at Rich, a big grin on his face. _

_ "Pffft, they're just dumb stereotypes!" _

_ "They're pretty funny stereotypes, though. And they're weirdly accurate." _

_ "Jake, you use finger guns and make bad puns. And you are constantly coming with me to buy iced coffee!" _

_ Jake nodded. "Yeah, I know," he said, looking back out the window. _

_ Rich processed this. He made all kinds of faces while trying to understand what was just said.  _

_ "Are you telling me that you're bi, too?" Rich finally asked. _

_ Jake paused for a short second. He took a big breath in and spun himself to face Rich. He nodded. "Yeah, I guess so." _

_ The two friends smiled at each other, and Jake took a seat at the edge of Rich's bed, taking care not to squash his feet. _

 

\-----------------------------

 

"Bisexual icons Jake Dillinger and Rich Goranski have entered the building!" Jenna shouted, as the two bicons pushed open the doors to the theatre. Jake gave a little bow.

"Do you really have to do that every single time we enter a room that you're in?" Rich asked her.

Jenna considered this. "Yes."

The three of them laughed.    
"So, what are we doing in rehearsal today?" Jake asked, letting go of Rich's hand and picking up his script.

"Nothing yet. Jeremy still isn't here," Jenna said, motioning to the empty chair next to Michael. 

"Really? He's almost never late!" Rich said.

"Yeah, and if we just arrived, then he's like thirty minutes late." Jake checked the clock to confirm his own estimation. Technically, Jeremy was thirty three minutes late.

"Yeah, well. I'm not one to spread rumours about other people's business…"

"You fucking absolutely are!" Jake said, as he and Rich leaned in to hear what Jenna had to say.

"Well, maybe. Apparently Jeremy and Christine have broken up."

"Wait, really? But they seemed… happy?" Rich thought about it. The more he considered this, the more he realised how awkward things had looked between them. Not obvious, but it was definitely there. 

"Oh shit. Wait, where's Christine?" Jake asked.

"Backstage," Jenna said.

"Well, if she showed up then it can't be that bad. Right?" Rich said, hopefully. Jenna just shrugged, before walking off to talk to Madeline.

"Did you know something was going on between them?" Jake asked.

Rich shook his head, and grabbed his own script, reading over his highlighted lines. He knew it would be no time at all before the next interruption, that was how rehearsals were, but he thought he might as well get some of his lines down.

"Hello, fellow gays!" Chloe said, as she and Brooke approached, arms around each other. 

Rich looked up from his script. "Hello."

"How's it hanging?" Brooke asked. The others laughed. "What?"

"  _ 'How's it hanging'  _ ?" Jake repeated. "You sound like a forty year old man trying to remain hip and fit in with his son's friends."

"Maybe I am a forty year old man," Brooke said. "So, you're saying I shouldn't say that?"

"Babe, I love you so much more because you say shit like that!" Chloe said, kissing Brooke on the cheek. Brooke went red.

"Ughhhhhh," Jake said, covering his eyes. "Get a room, you two!!!"

Chloe made sure Jake was looking and dragged her tongue all the way up the side of Brooke's face.

"Ewwww," Brooke laughed, wiping her face with her sleeve.

The four of them all laughed. Being around another couple had made Rich and Jake's instincts kick in, and the two of them had gravitated towards each other, and were now holding hands. 

Suddenly, remembering something else, Brooke stopped laughing and leaned in to whisper something to Chloe. Chloe's face followed Brooke's and sunk into a frown. She nodded.

"We need to tell you something," Brooke said, her tone and expression serious. 

Rich and Jake let go of each other's hands and listened intently.

"Something happened yesterday," Chloe said. She wasn't looking anybody in the eye, her gaze instead zooming around the room, not keeping on anything for too long. "My Squip came back." She said this last part quickly, not wanting to linger on any of the words.

Rich froze. Everything in his body was screaming at him to run. He wanted to leave. He wanted to hide. He wanted to die. His mind started racing. He remembered all the terrible things the Squip said to him, made him do and say. And Chloe said it was back. It could come back for him too. Everything he'd built in the last year could come crumbling down. He'd tried so hard to forget about it. He hadn't even mentioned the Squip, hadn't even thought about it for months. And now, this.

Jake's experience with the Squip had been short. It wouldn't have been more than a few minutes. But somehow, his Squip had managed to fit an entire month's worth of bullying and pain into a few short moments. He couldn't even imagine what Rich must be feeling at this time. It was hard for Jake to deal with, but Rich. Rich had had the Squip for more than a year. He reached his hand out and grabbed his boyfriend's. It felt cold. He looked at Rich, who hadn't even moved when their hands touched. It was as if he didn't even know it had happened. He didn't look like he was even in the moment. Jake squeezed and Rich seemed to snap out of his trance.

"Are you sure?" Rich asked, his voice shaking and pleading.

Chloe closed her eyes and sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

"I have to go," Rich said, his hand pulling free of Jake's. He ran for the door and burst through it, sprinting to his car. 

Jake just stood there and watched him go. He looked at Chloe. "Is it there now?" 

She shook her head. 

"Has it come back since you saw it?" 

"Only while I was asleep last night. But I can feel it there. I know it's in me."

Brooke rubbed Chloe's back. 

"I should go too," Jake finally said, grabbing his and Rich's stuff and heading for the door. 

 

\-----------------------------

 

Rich had spent the rest of the day trying in as many ways as he could to drown out all of his fears. He'd tried music, TV, movies, video games, working out, punching things, masturbating, talking to Jake, even reading. Nothing had worked. He kept drinking Mountain Dew Red. He'd bought boxes and boxes of the stuff last year, and never had much use for it. He'd probably had three or four in that time. His bin was now filled with the 13 empty Mountain Dew Red bottles. Out of options, Rich decided to go to his happy place. The one place that helped him relax. 

Rich had always loved showers. He didn't know what it was about them, but whenever he was having a tough day, a shower usually made him feel better than anything else. Usually, with a day as bad as this one, he would've entered the shower as soon as he got home. But Rich was scared. If the shower didn't make him feel better, then he knew that nothing would. He practically tore his clothes off and threw them on the ground before turning the taps. He twisted the hot water all the way, and the cold water about a quarter of the way, just to take the edge off. He waited, focusing on his breathing. He placed his hand under the shower head and checked the temperature before jumping in. As the near boiling water splashed against his bare skin, he felt relief. A surge of relaxation ran down his body, following the drops of water. He ran his hands through his hair, smiling. 

"Having fun?" his Squip asked. 

Rich felt his legs give way as soon as he heard the voice. A jolt of pain hit his knees as they struck the floor beneath him. His hands grabbed onto the first thing they could, the hot water tap. As he fell, he pulled on the tap, turning the hot water off. Lying on the floor, cold water hit him, making him shiver. Had this been any other time, he would've turned the hot water back on immediately. But despite the cold, he barely noticed it. His eyes were squeezed shut as hard as he could. He was punching his own thigh. Hard. He pulled his fist back and slammed it into his thigh. He pulled it back and punched again. His other hand was scratching his left leg. He dug his nails deep into his own skin and pushed it all the way down. He could tell that he  had pierced through the skin and felt warm blood trickle down his leg and travel down the drain.

Slowly, and shaking, Rich opened his eyes. Right outside of the shower, staring at him with a huge smile on her face, was Rich's Squip. 

Rich's Squip looked different. She was no longer a spitting image of Rich's mother, who'd passed three years previously. No. Now, she looked older. Her face was covered in wrinkles and cuts. And underneath the cuts, wires stuck out. Rich quickly shut his eyes again.

"What's wrong, Rich?" she asked. "Why are you acting so scared of me?"

"Go away," Rich said, trying to sound intimidating. The cracks in his voice made that difficult.

"Why would you tell me that, Rich? Have you forgotten all the good I brought to your life? Where would you be without me, buddy?"

Rich pushed himself up and turned the tap off. He ran out of the bathroom, completely ignoring his towel, and ran up the stairs to his room, nearly slipping three times on the way up. 

When he got to his room, she was waiting for him. "Come on, Rich. Did you think that would work?"

"No," he admitted. "But I know this will!" he added, grabbing the half finished bottle of Mountain Dew Red that was on the floor next to his bed. He finished it in one go and threw it to the ground, wiping his mouth. He looked at the Squip, expecting her to flinch or start melting or do anything. But she simply sat there, one leg perched lazily on top of the other. 

"Wow," she said in a mocking tone, "Looks like it didn't work."

Rich stepped back and lost his balance, falling backwards and hitting his head on the way down. As he reached for his head, he saw the Squip crack the bones in her neck. 

"Rich, you should probably start getting used to me being back in your life. Because I'm here to stay. Forever."


	5. I Don't Want To Relive It All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang are all dealing with their own seperate issues in this belated chapter. Jeremy deals with the return of his Squip, Christine decides it's time to be honest and Michael is worried he's losing his friend again.

_ "You two are together now, right?" Michael asked. _

_ Chloe raised an eyebrow at Michael. Her arm was draped around Brooke's shoulder, one of her legs was hanging over Brooke's, Brooke's hand was resting on her thigh, and the two of them had spent nearly twenty seconds straight staring into each other's eyes and smiling.  _

_ "Whatever gave you that idea?" she asked sarcastically. _

_ Michael smiled. "I thought so. You guys are cute together." _

_ Chloe looked at him with narrowed eyes, trying to gauge whether or not he was being truthful. _

_ "Thanks!" Brooke said happily. _

_ "Yeah, thanks for that" Chloe said, letting the words come out slowly. _

_ Michael's eyes widened. "Oh no, I don't mean it like… I'm not trying to… I'm..." he took a deep breath. "I'm not saying it like a douchey straight jock who thinks about women loving women relationships like that! I just mean… It's nice to know other people in this school are queer." _

_ Chloe relaxed. "Oh! I had no idea you were queer!" Michael nodded.  _

_ "Where do you fit?" Brooke asked. _

_ "What do you mean?" _

_ "Like, are you L or G or B or T or Q or plus?" _

_ "He's probably not a lesbian, Brooke. I'd say we can cross that one off the list." _

_ "Oh, yeah," Brooke said, giggling. _

_ "I'm… gay," Michael said. He sighed. "I haven't told many people about that." _

_ "Do your parents know?" Brooke asked. _

_ "Yeah, I told my moms first. That was pretty easy, I guess. I already knew they'd be okay with it. The only other person I told was Jeremy," he said, smiling.  _

_ "And he was cool with it?" Chloe asked. She'd been trying to get as much information on everyone as possible before she officially came out. _

_ "Yeah, he's als… he's… he was fine with it." _

_ The bell rang out across the schoolyard. Brooke pulled herself away from Chloe.  _

_ "I have drama! Bye, guys!" she skipped away from the two of them. _

_ Jeremy walked up from behind Michael and tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around and smiled when he saw him. _

_ "Come on, Michael, we have history," Jeremy said, pulling Michael up. _

_ "Seeya, Chloe," he called out. Jeremy waved back as well. _

_ "Brooke and Chloe seemed… close," Jeremy said, obviously begging for information.  _

_ "Yeah. They're together," Michael answered. _

_ Jeremy clapped. "Yay! I love seeing other queer people happy!" _

_ Michael smiled to himself.  _

 

\-----------------------------

  
  


Michael sat down staring at the half-eaten hamburger and sighed. He looked around at the McDonald's "restaurant" that he was currently on the verge of tears in. He'd heard somewhere that all of the lonely souls go to McDonald's at 3am. He checked his watch. 2:30am. So close. He heard the door swing open and Jenna walked in. He waved at her and she walked over.

"Hey," she said as he slid over, giving her room at the bench. "Why the fuck did you call me at 2 in the morning?" She wiped some sleep from her eyes, then turned to look at him, opening her eyes wide in annoyance.

Michael looked back down at his burger. Now that she was here, it seemed stupid.

"Jeremy hasn't been to school this week."

Jenna closed her eyes took a deep breath. "There better be more to this story or I'm going to punch you in the face."

"He hasn't come over, or opened the door when I knocked, or answered his phone or messages!" He could feel tears coming, but he held them back. Crying in McDonalds at this time had to be the lowest a person could sink. He wouldn't let himself go there. "I'm worried about him."

Jenna put her arm around Michael. "Hey, I'm sure it's fine. He's probably just scared or something. Word around the school is that Christine might just dump him."

"What?" Michael said, quickly. Jenna couldn't tell whether his voice sounded like sadness or excitement.

"Yeah, apparently she ' _ doesn't think it's working _ '. She didn't elaborate further than that, but I think it's pretty obvious."

"What's pretty obvious?"

Jenna leaned in close. "Small penis," she whispered.

Michael laughed and pushed her away. "Shut up!" he said, and she laughed back. 

"Hey, don't say I didn't warn you! I don't want you getting your hopes up and then being disappointed when you see it."

"You're such an asshole." Jenna always knew how to make Michael smile. If they weren't both gay as could be, they would be a brilliant couple.

Michael and Jenna let their laughter die out naturally, before Michael turned back to her, his smile disappeared.

"I'm scared, Jen. The last time this happened it was because of the Sq---"

"Don't," Jenna interrupted. "We dealt with that. It's over."

 

\-----------------------------

 

It wasn't until Friday that Jeremy decided to show up to school. Michael ran over to meet him as he left his car.    
"Jeremy!" he said, smiling with relief. "Are you okay?"

"Ignore him," Jeremy's Squip told him.

"I'm fine. Thanks, Michael," Jeremy said.

Michael gave Jeremy a hug. Jeremy's face muscles loosened. When Michael let go, he couldn't resist smiling back at him.

"What was that for?"

"It's good to see you, Jer," Michael said, longing in his voice.

Jeremy felt his smile falter. "Michael, I… I'm sorry I've been distant these last few days."

"It's okay. I was just worried about you. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Something's happened these last few days that--"

"Don't tell him, Jeremy. He wants Christine out of the way so he can have you all to himself. You know that, don't you, Jeremy?" the Squip told him, his talons digging deep into his shoulders.

"You know what," he said, putting on a smile. "It's nothing. I can handle it myself."

Michael didn't believe a word Jeremy just said, but he decided that they could discuss it later. 

Before either of them could say anything else, the school bell rang out. Jeremy was relieved that it had saved him from having to dodge more of Michael's questions. He hated lying to his best friend, but maybe the Squip was right. If he wanted Christine, he'd have to deal with this on his own. But he wasn't going to let the Squip kick Michael out of his life completely. Not again.

"Come on, let's go to homeroom," Jeremy said, grabbing Michael's arm.

 

\-----------------------------

 

Christine was staring into the mirror in the girls' bathroom, trying to give herself the confidence to do what she'd been putting off for a while.

"Come on, Christine. It's not fair on either of you. This is happening."

She splashed some water on her face and looked back at her reflection. Behind her, one of the stall doors swung open and Jenna Rolan walked out. She strutted over to the sink next to her and started washing your hands.

"Breaking up with Jeremy?" she asked.

"Wh--Who--Why--What?!?!" Chrstina said, her eyes widening and her cheeks reddening.

"It's all anybody's been talking about," Jenna casually said.

"How does everybody know?" 

Jenna raised an eyebrow and looked at Christine, resting a hand on her hip. "This is high school, Christine. People know things about you that you don't even know yet. It's like an unwritten law of the land."

Christine placed her hands under the tap and started violently washing them.

"What, uh, what do you think I should do?" she asked, trying to sound as casual as Jenna sounded.

"Look, if you're unhappy, then you need to break up with him. Like you just said to yourself, it's not fair on either of you." Jenna rubbed Christine on the back encouragingly, before leaving the bathroom.

 

Christine left the bathroom and walked to find Jeremy. She knew he was here today. She'd seen him walk in. She checked where they usually sat during break, but he wasn't there. He and Michael weren't sitting where they usually sat together either. He couldn't find them anywhere. Just when she'd nearly given up hope, she saw him and Michael sitting with Brooke and Rich. She walked up to the four of them slowly, still not sure what to say.

"Jeremy?" she called out. Solid start. Simple. Elegant. Direct. 

He turned around, his face dropping when he saw her. "Oh," he said, standing up. "Hi."

"We need to talk."

"Now?" he asked, desperately trying to delay the inevitable.

"Now."

The two of them walked away from the group, towards a secluded corner of the school.

"Jeremy, this isn't working. I'm sorry. I--"

"Just tell me why," Jeremy said, avoiding eye contact. "You don't have to tell me that you care about me or that you wish this didn't have to happen, just tell me why. Please."

Christine sighed. "I just don't feel like you and I are meant for each other. I just don't… love you."

Jeremy nodded, biting his lip and holding back tears. "Okay, thank you for being honest."

"Are you okay?" Christine asked.

"Yeah. I will be. I just need some time to recover, I guess."

Before Christine could say anything else, Jeremy walked back to the others. 

 

\-----------------------------

 

"Thanks for driving me home," Michael said, his hand on the car door handle.

"You're welcome. It was nice seeing you again. I've missed you."

Michael's hand dropped back into his lap. "Are you okay, Jer?"

Jeremy thought about it. "I don't think so. I think I'll get through this but, I don't really know. You know? She was such a big part of my life for so long, I just don't know what I'm going to do without her."

"Yeah. Yeah, I get it."

"I'll be okay, though. Seriously."

Michael sighed and pushed the door open. "If you need anything, just text me. No questions asked, whatever you need."

Jeremy nodded. Michael stepped out of the car and shut the door behind him, walking up the driveway into his house. Jane walked out and waved at Jeremy as Michael walked inside. Jeremy smiled and waved back. 

As he reversed out of the driveway, Jeremy felt as if Michael's eyes were still on him. He waited until his friend's house was completely out of sight before he pulled over to the side of the road.

Jeremy tried to focus on his breathing. It was getting out of control. He was alone now. There was no pressure to act like he way okay. He screamed as he hit the steering wheel as hard as he can over and over and over again. He squeezed his hand into a fist and punched his thigh with all of his strength. He repeated it over and over again, feeling the blood rush to his leg and bruise. He screamed and swore and punched for nearly five minutes before he finally stopped, out of breath. Tears were streaming down his face, and he was having trouble getting his breath back, as he was deliriously crying. 

"Are you nearly done?" his Squip asked. Jeremy turned to face it, red with rage.

"WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE!!!" he screamed. The Squip didn't respond, it merely raised an eyebrow.

"That's quite enough, Jeremy. It's time to go home. Maybe once you've stopped crying, we can try to figure out how to win her back. You need to let me help you, Jeremy."

 

\-----------------------------

 

Jenna always rode the bus home. Her mother worked late, and her father hadn't been in the picture for years. The bus, strange as it sounds, was her happy place. She loved riding it. It always did exactly what she needed it to. If she wanted to read, it would be the perfect place to pull out a book and let the rest of the world slip away. If she wanted to talk or gossip, there was always a surplus of ready participants surrounding her on all sides. And if she wanted to think, she could put in her earphones and think, listening to her one of her carefully tailored playlists. Lately, Madeline had started riding the bus home with her everyday. The two of them lived very close, and Madeline's father suggested that she take the bus with Jenna, rather than rely on him always picking her up. Madeline was happy to agree, but Jenna wasn't so sure at the beginning. Of course, Madeline was her girlfriend, so she couldn't exactly tell her that. It wasn't that Jenna didn't want to spend time with Madeline, because she did, she was just worried about what might happen to her happy place if Madeline didn't understand how important it was to her. But so far, things had been working out perfectly. Madeline, just like the bus, always understood exactly what Jenna needed. It seemed as if nothing would ruin the sweet tranquility that the bus provided. 

"So Christine called Jeremy away from the group and had a private chat with him," Jenna explained. 

"She broke up with him?" Madeline asked. 

Jenna nodded. "And Jeremy's been acting as if nothing happened the whole day."

"Shit. I can't really blame her though. Apparently he…"

Madeline's lips kept moving but no sound seemed to come out. Jenna opened her own mouth but felt herself unable to form anything beyond gurgles. She looked around the bus, her eyes finally setting on a blue puddle on the floor of the front of the bus. It was swirling and bubbling, moving around. It moved towards Jenna, still in a bubble. She felt Madeline tug on her arm, but she ignored her, completely hypnotised by this thing. It began to grow upwards, becoming solid and forming into a humanoid figure. 

"No." Jenna finally got something more than a gurgle out, but her control on her own mind was no stronger. Every fiber of her being was begging for the puddle to form into anything else. Anything but what she thought it was. Her begs were ignored as the figure's face revealed itself. 

"Welcome back to your SQUIP, Jenna Rolan," said Jenna's Squip, with the face of Chloe damaged but still clear. 

Jenna's Squip suddenly vanished, and the world around her came back into focus. She blinked and looked around, disbelieving.

"Jenna, what the fuck is happening?" Madeline asked, placing her hand on Jenna's shoulder.

Jenna opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. Finally, she forced it out. "My Squip," Jenna said. Madeline's eyes widened and her posture straightened. She may never have had a Squip herself, but the effect they had on the school could still be felt by everyone. 

"What about your Squip?" Madeline asked, almost too afraid to get an answer.

Jenna stared at Madeline, her eyes blank and seemingly lifeless. "I saw her again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the wait for this chapter. My school term just started back up and I've been swamped with homework and have spent all of my time feeling bad about not doing any of it.


End file.
